(By Bret Kepner – Photo credit: CompetitionPlus.com) – With a repertoire of skills displayed by few craftsmen, the career of Brian Olson encompassed all of motorsports. Although best known for his activities within drag racing, the Indiana veteran was a master of a variety of talents almost all of which led to fame within the industry.

(Brian note: I spent many weekends, shared many hotel rooms, and was on the announcing deck with Brian Olson a lot through my early and middle 20s as we were both working on the announcing staff for IHRA during that time. I can remember the first time we met when the IHRA tour came through Epping and I was given a shot to call some sportsman racing. He helped calm me down before I went on because I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. Fast forward to the next several years and we’d be in Norwalk, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, Canada, and whatever other exotic destinations IHRA had on the tour. Bob Unkefer, Brian Olson, and I were a merry band of minstrels back then. They were some of the most fun days of my life. I’ll be back with more on my experiences with Brian this week, but please enjoy this simply fantastic piece that Bret Kepner put together about his life and times.)

One of nine children, Olson’s first racing experiences came at age ten when he rode his bicycle from his Peru, Indiana, home to nearby Bunker Hill Drag Strip. His knack for engineering was nurtured by his late father, Ray, and, by the time he earned a license, Olson was already adept with the tools of the mechanic, bodywork and automotive paint trades. In 1984, he opened the Olson Paint & Body shop in Peru and quickly generated a reputation for quality work and an amazing ability to produce custom paint jobs and paint intricate graphic illustrations.

Brian began competing at Bunker Hill and other drag strips in central Indiana but he soon acquired customers in multiple motorsports including tractor pulling and dirt-oval racing. In the span of a decade, Olson became one of the most sought painters in racing while his shop continued to produce complete street and competition vehicles for a growing customer base.

He developed a relationship with the Hullinger family which operated Bunker Hill Drag Strip and began acting as Event Director and announcer at the eighth-mile facility in 1987. When Jay Hullinger became the Division III Director for the National Hot Rod Association that same season, he invited Olson to announce races at Indianapolis Raceway Park where Brian became a regular commenter at Regional and National events held at the IRP facility. Olson soon moved to the booth at Super Chevy Shows which, at the time, comprised drag racing’s second-largest touring series.

In the 1990s, Olson’s shop was building or painting projects for the sport’s most prolific designers. Among the varied machinery rolling out of Olson Paint & Body was a group of a half-dozen team cars all of which were maintained on the premises. During the same period, Olson brought into the business his wife, Diana, (whom he married in 1984), his daughter, Francie, and his son, Drew. A valuable member of the racing team as a mechanic and a driver, Drew showed the same artistic traits as his father and Brian assisted in the opening of his son’s graphic design company which operated inhouse at Olson Paint & Body.

Meanwhile, Olson began to develop a global reputation. A longtime motorcycle enthusiast, Olson decided to allow an outlet for his creativity by designing and constructing a radical custom motorcycle with which he won the fiftieth anniversary of the famed Oakland (CA) Roadster Show in 1999. Drastically different from any before it, the bike drew attention to Olson from all over the world. It went on to win Germany’s legendary Essen Motor Show the same year and also was proclaimed “Motorcycle of the Year” by VQ Magazine.

By the end of the decade, Olson’s team of drag racing machines encompassed Stock, Super Stock and Competition Eliminators and its members held NHRA World Records in all three divisions. In 2000, Olson’s team set a total of six NHRA National Records during a single event, the NHRA Division II National Open in Orlando, Florida.

At the same time, Olson designed, constructed and painted a candy apple red-colored front-engined dragster for action in NHRA’s Competition Eliminator. The car was named the “Circus City Flyer” in tribute to Peru’s history as the winter headquarters for most of the country’s major traveling circuses as well as the home of the International Circus Hall of Fame. (Olson, himself, occasionally appeared in Peru’s annual “Amateur Circus”). Like dozens of his other creations, the “Circus City Flyer” won the Best Appearing Vehicle Award in its first outing at the 2001 NHRA Springnationals in Columbus (OH).

As Olson Paint & Body produced race cars, motorcycles and boats for hundreds of customers, Brian became a team director for the Carrier Brothers Top Fuel Dragster driven by Cory McClenathan. The job led to Olson being tabbed to be the manager of the Torco Race Fuels drag racing team which remains one of the largest multi-vehicle operations in drag racing history. Moreover, Olson and his crew were responsible for the graphic design and painting of the nearly two dozen machines which comprised a team of Dragsters, Funny Cars, Pro Modifieds and Pro Stock cars and motorcycles, each of which included a unique and complicated paint scheme.

Olson also expanded his broadcasting endeavors in the first decade of the new century. He announced International Hot Rod Association National Events and was named the color commentator on the SPEED Channel’s broadcasts of IHRA events. Brian also announced National Muscle Car Association races and eventually added the American Drag Racing League series to his roster. His television work grew to include a position on SPEED’s “On The Edge” series and Olson later became the announcing voice and television face of the Professional Drag Racing Association. All the while, Brian continued to announce tractor pulls, oval track events and even races at Bunker Hill Drag Strip in his home state when time permitted. He became a revered local celebrity whose motorsports experience ranged from the Indianapolis 500 to the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Throughout it all, Olson’s enthusiasm was contagious. His well-known smile always illustrated a genuine thrill to be a part of racing on any level. His creativity and artistry shone in each of his many talents. Most widely known as a broadcaster, Olson was able to accurately express to his audience his experience with nearly every aspect of racing from design and construction to management and driving. Moreover, he could engage both novice and knowledgeable fans with simultaneous information and excitement through his delivery. However, Brian Olson was far more than just a voice.

His work with fundraising events and multiple charities was renowned in his home state. Despite his hectic work schedule, Olson always found time to assist those in need both within and outside of motorsports. He, his wife and his children were named Peru’s “Family of the Year”. Brian was named Peru’s “Citizen of the Year”.

Although he earned thousands of customers, Olson gained thousands more friends. His gregarious personality was as entertaining as it was engaging. His ease of conversation and genuine concern for those with whom he dealt brought far more accolades than his professional endeavors. Brian Olson was an inspiration to many but, above all, he was a friend to nearly every one he met. He asked only to be that friend and freely gave of his time and effort. His friendship knew no limits and his generosity not only helped those in need of his expertise but those to whom he offered assistance in all aspects of life. Over time, his creations may fade. However, Brian Olson’s love of his family, his friends and his life will always remain.

Here’s Brian Olson interviewing Chad and I on the roof of the motorhome at the 2014 Street Car Super Nationals